More than 600,000 African Americans signed up for the Affordable Care Act

By Frederick H. Lowe
Contributing Writer

(Special from The NorthStar News) – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today reported that 625, 934 African Americans signed up for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act during initial open enrollment, which began Oct. 1, 2013, and ended March 31, although it was extended for some individuals until April 19.

The number of Blacks who signed up through the federal marketplace, represented 16.7 percent of the 3.7 million who selected a marketplace plan where race and ethnicity were reported.

Before open enrollment began, 6.8 million African Americans said they did not have health insurance.

Some 403,632 Hispanics signed for ACA which represented 10.7 percent, where race and ethnicity was reported, and 298,515 Asians signed up for ACA, representing 7.9 percent, where race and ethnicity were reported, Julie Bataille, director of communications for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said during a conference call.

Some 2.3 million whites signed up for the Affordable Care Act, which represented 62.9 percent where race and ethnicity were reported.

ACA’s application asked individuals to voluntarily enter their race and ethnicity, but 30 percent did not respond to the question, Bataille said.

The enrollment numbers are from 36 federal sites, not sites operated by individual states.

Here in Louisiana enrollment figures for the state show 101,778 people selected a plan through a federally run insurance marketplace, out of more than 184,000 who were eligible.

The figures say about 32 percent of those who signed up fall into the 18-34 age bracket. That age group is considered necessary to help make the plan work because the group is relatively healthy

The overall figure for the state is a considerable jump from the 45,561 people enrolled in the federal marketplace plan as of March 1. A surge in enrollment had been reported as this year’s March 31 deadline for signups approached.

Some 8.01 million individuals enrolled in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act during initial open enrollment, said Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of Health and Human Services.

This article originally published in the May 5, 2014 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.